Elections

Why Campaign Finance Reform Is Hard

Aug 2 '12

From a new Washington Post-Pew poll:

So, 65% have heard little or nothing about campaign spending by outside groups, 75% think the effect of this spending will be neutral or have no opinion about its effect, 69% do not think it will help one candidate more than the other or have no opinion about this, and 60% cannot identify what a super-PAC is.

These sorts of findings are one reason why, despite Americans’ distaste for money in politics, the public rarely provides much impetus for campaign finance reform.